Thinning machine



April 23, 1935. R, UDDENBQRG 1,998,745

THINNING MACHINE Fil ed Dec. 15, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 April 23, 1935. J. R. UDDENBOR 1,993,745

THINNING MACHINE Filed Dec. 15, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Apr. 23, 1935 UNlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE 11 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in plant grouping or thinning devices.

An important object of my invention is the provision of a device of this character which will effectively remove plants from the row without disturbing the plants in the block or group.

Another object of my invention is to cultivate and aerate the soil about the group or block while thinning the row.

A further object of my invention is to provide means for removing the cut out plants from the row.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a device of this character which is simple in construction and operation which is inexpensive to manufacture, strong and durable.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification and wherein like characters of reference denote like or corresponding parts throughout the same,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a thinning machine embodying my invention,

Figure 2 is an elevation of the knife carrying plate,

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view thereof,

Figure 4 is an elevation of the knife clamping Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view thereof taken on line 5-5 of Figure 4,

Figure 6 is a detail bottom plan view showing the driving connections between the knife carrying plate and the wheel axle,

Figure 7 is a front elevation of one of the knives,

Figure 8 is a side elevation thereof,

Figure 9 is a similar View showing the auxiliary knife in place thereon,

Figure 10 is a rear elevation of the knife and auxiliary knife,

Figure 11 is a side elevation of a knife having a raking attachment secured thereto,

Figure 12 is a rear elevation thereof,

Figure 13 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the method of clamping the knives to the knife carrying plate,

Figure 14 is a detail view of one of the wheel traction and cultivating plates,

Figure 15 is a fragmentary elevation of the knife clamping plate showing the position of the knife hafts thereto, and,

Figure 16 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the thinning of a row of plants.

In the drawings wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of my invention the numeral designates the wheels of the thinning machine which are connected by an axle l8 secured thereto. The wheels II are provided at their rims with a plurality of 5 closely spaced cultivating and traction members 9. The members l9 are wide, hoe-shaped, sharpened blades which project radially a substantial distance beyond the rims of the wheels l1 and also project axially beyond the sides of the wheel rims. In addition to aiding traction of the wheels, the blades l9 serve to cultivate the soil at each side of the row of plants.

A yoke casting 20 has its arms pivotally secured to the axle l8 and has a shaft 2| journaled therein. Shaft 2| is connected to axle l8 by any suitable driving means such as the beveled gears 22. A casing 23' is arranged between the arms of the yoke and surrounds the bevel gears.

The yoke casting 20 and shaft 2| extend rearwardly of the wheels l1, and a knife carrying plate 23 is rigidly secured to the rearward end of the shaft. The plate 23 is preferably dished inwardly to produce a slightly cone-shaped effect as seen in Figures 1 and 3. The rearward face of plate 23 is provided with an annular flange 24 spaced from the periphery thereof. An annular bead 25 is arranged between the flange 24 and the periphery of plate 23.

An annular clamping ring 26 is slightly frustoconical in shape and is provided on its forward face with spaced grooves 21 for the reception of the edges of the knife hafts. The grooves 21 are arranged at an angle of about 30 to a radial line from the groove to the center of the ring. Suitable openings 28 accommodate clamping bolts 29 which secure the ring 26 to plate 23.

The knives 30 are provided with flat hafts 3| twisted out of alignment with the knife blades and adapted to be clamped between plate 23 and ring 26. A semicircular recess 32 is arranged in the edge of each knife haft at a point spaced from the end thereof.

To assemble the knives, they are arranged edgewise in the grooves of ring 26 and the ring 4 clamped to plate 23. The recesses 32 receive the bead 25 which prevents removal of the knives from between the ring and plate, as illustrated in Figure 13. The knives will not extend radially from the plate 23 but will assume the inclination 'of the grooves 21. If the knives are desired to be radially arranged, radial grooves are provided in the clamping ring.

The knives 30 have their ends bent over at 33 to almost a right angle with respect to the body portions of the knives, and the tips 34 of the bent over portions are again bent into a position parallel with the main or body portion of the blade. The tips 34 are cut away to form an inclined or biased cutting edge. The forward edges of the body portion 30, bent over portions 33 and tips 34 are tapered to a sharp cutting edge for slicing or cutting through the soil and plants without removing the soil from the row and without disturbing the plants left between the cuts.

The knives are suitably spaced about the periphery of the plate 23 and when'assembled present a slightly cone shaped formation as illustrated in Figure 1.

The machine may be drawn over the ground in any suitable manner, as by means of a tractor,

or in small machines, hand power may be used. In Figure l I have illustrated a machine which may be pushed by hand. A pair of spaced diverging handles 35 may be secured to the yoke casting 20 and extend diagonally upward to end in hand grips 36. A tie rod 31 or other bracingor connecting means may connect the handles adjacent their upper ends. A suitable brace such as shown at 38 may be provided to ,connect the handles with the rearward portion of the yoke casting. An adjustable wheeled supporting standard 39 is secured to the handles at a point to the rear of the knives 30 and engages the soil during the operation of the machine. The standard 39 preferably extends vertically downward from one of the diverging handles 35 in order that it will engage the ground at one side of the row.

Due to the pivotal connection of the yoke 20 with axle l8, adjustment of the standard longitudinally serves to raise and lower the knives. This adjustment may be provided in any suitable manner, as by means of the bolt and slot indicated at 40.

As the machine moves along the row with the wheels straddling the row, the knives will cut diagonal spaced swaths across the row as indicated in Figure 16, cutting out the plants in the path of the knives but leaving a group or block between each pair of cuts. The bent over portion 33 of each knife cuts out the plants ahead of the body portion 30, and the parallel portions 30 and 34 cleanly slice through the soil. The portions 30 and 34 cleanly slice or shave the ground even when a crust is formed, and consequently the plants left in the block will not be disturbed. This slicing or shaving is made possible by the twisting of the knife blade which presents the sharpened edges of the knife to the soil, as illustrated in Figure 16. It will be seen that the cut starts and finishes outside of the row of plants.

Between the cutting portion of each knife and the twisted haft thereof I provide a series of spaced notches 4| on the rearward edge of the blade 30 in order that auxiliary devices may be adjustably attached to the knife. In loose soil the cut plants tend to remain in the row. To overcome this difficulty, I propose to attach an auxiliary device to each knife when these conditions are encountered. In Figures 9 and 10 I have shown an auxiliary knife 42 having a body portion 43 arranged at an angle to the blade of the knife and terminating in a bent over end forming a U-shaped clip 44 adapted to encircle the body portion 30 of the main knife. A bolt 45 draws the arms of the clip together and passes through one of the notches 41 to secure the auxiliary knife to the main knife. The auxiliary knife has the same construction as the main knife, being provided with the turned over portion 33' and the turned up pointed end 34'.

The auxiliary knife 42 is spaced behind the main knife, and is shorter than the main knife, whereby it will follow through the swath cut by the main knife and remove cut plants therefrom.

In place of the auxiliary knife 42 I may use the auxiliary rake 46 shown in Figures 11 and 12. The rake prongs are mounted on a pin 41 which passes through the arms of a U-shaped clip 48 to which it is secured by clamping nuts 49. The clip 48 encircles the body portion of the knife 30 and is clamped thereto by nuts 49, the pin 41 resting in one of the notches 4| to prevent movement of the clip longitudinally of the knife. The prongs of the rake 46 are curved so that their ends are parallel to the knife at a point spaced a substantial distance therefrom but terminate short of the end of the knife. In operation the rake prongs pass through the soil cut and loosened by the knife and remove the cut plants therefrom.

The action of the knives, by shaving or slicing the soil, prevents the breaking out of lumps of earth or crusted earth, thereby preventing harm to the plants left in the block. The loosening of the soil by the knives permits air to penetrate the soil to aerate the same.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that various changes in the size, shape and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of my invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A thinning machine comprising a wheeled member a rotating thinning member carried by said wheeled member and comprising a plurality of spaced knives, said knives each comprising a pair of spaced substantially parallel sharpened soil slicing blades, and a plant cutting blade connecting said parallel soil slicing blades, said knives being twisted about their axes to present the sharpened edges of the soil slicing blades to the soil.

2. A knife for use in a plant thinning machine comprising a sharpened blade adapted to move through the soil and cut plants therein, and a plant removing member associated with said knife and adapted to trail said knife through the soil to remove plants out by the knife.

3. A knife for use in a plant thinning machine comprising a sharpened blade adapted to move through the soil and cut plants therein, and a plant removing member adjustably mounted on said knife and adapted to trail said knife through the soil to remove plants cut by the knife.

4. A knife for use in a plant thinning machine comprising a sharpened blade adapted tomove through the soil and cut plants therein, and an auxiliary plant removing sharpened blade associated with said first named blade and adapted to trail the same through the soil to remove plants cut thereby.

5. A knife for use in a plant thinning machine comprising a sharpened blade adapted to move through the soil and cut plants therein, and an auxiliary plant removing sharpened blade adjustably mounted on said first named blade and adapted to trail the same through the soil to remove plants cut thereby.

' 6. A knife for use in a plant thinning machine comprising a sharpened blade adapted to move throughthesoilandcutplantstherein,anda' rakehavingapluralityofprongsassoeiatedwith saidbladeandadaptedtotrailthesamethrough the soil to remove plants out thereby.

7.Akniie1oruseinaplantthinningmachine comprising a sharpened blade adapted to move through the soil and cut'plants therein, and an auxiliary rake having a plurality of prongs adjustably moimted on said blade and adapted to trailthesamethroughthesoiltoremoveplants cut thereby.

8. A thinning machine a wheeled axle, a rotating knite carrying plate carried by said axle, and a plurality of sharpened knives carried by said plate, each of said knives extendingthereiromatanangletoaradialiine throughthecenterofsaidplate.

9.Athinningmachine comprisingawheeied axle,arotatingknifeearryingplatecarriedby said axle, and a plurality of knives carried by said plate,each at said knives extendingtherefromatanangletoaradiallinethrough the centeroisaidplate, said knivesbeingtwisted topresenttheirsharpenededgestothesoil.

10. Akniietoruseinaplantthinningmaehine comprisingahaitadaptedtomasupportingmember,abladetwistedaxlally and forming a continuation of said bait, the end of saidblade beingbent overtoiorm'a plant cuttingportiomandthe end oitheplantcutting portion being bent into parallel relation with the main portion of the blade, the

parallel portions of theblade serving as soil slicingmemberathetwistingoithebladeserving toprwenttheedgesoitheparallel portlonsotthebladetothesoiltoproducea clean cut shaving action.

11. Akniieioruseinaplantthinningmachine comprising a halt adapted to engage a supporting member, a sharpened blade twisted axially and forming a continuation of said halt, the end of said blade being bent over to form a plant cutting portion, and the end of the plant cutting portion being bent into substantially parallel relation with the main portion of the blade. the

parallel portions 0! the blade serving as soil slicing members, and a plant removing member associated with said blade and adaptediotrail Said blade through the soil to remove plants cut by the blade.

J. RIKARD UDDENBORG. 

